Patterning Inorganic (CaCO₃) Thin Films via a Polymer-Induced Liquid-Precursor Process

The biomimetic synthesis of patterned mineral thin films, based on a combination of the microcontact printing technique and a novel crystallization process called the polymer-induced liquid-precursor (PILP) process, is demonstrated. The PILP process enables the deposition of smooth and continuous calcitic mineral films (up to 1500 nm in thickness) under low-temperature and aqueous-based processing conditions. The films are formed by deposition...